Archives for January 2018

The holidays came and went so fast! I had such a great year that I decided to give myself lots of self-care gifts, hahaha! I mean, seriously, we could all use a little self-care, right?

Since I’m turning 3-5 this year, I decided to amp up my skin care game. I finally used up my old Clinique moisturizer (didn’t like it, review here) so I went back to Origin’s Make a Difference Rejuvenating Treatment, my faaave. And you know what, the performance of the rejuvenating treatment has been nothing short of consistent. I always wake up to unbelievably glowy skin. My skin has never looked better and even my husband noticed.

Apart from scoring a pot of an old favorite, I gifted myself the Mega Mushroom Relief holiday sampler set, also by Origins. The holiday set is quite expensive at almost PhP 5,000 but you do get a full-sized serum, along with premium samples of the treatment lotion, cleanser, and mask.

Just so you know, I received several MMR treatment lotion packs and it was so good. I didn’t write a review about it because I was just using the samples. I needed to get a bottle to review the product as accurately as possible. The MMR treatment was so good, I decided to get the sampler set just to see how great the product works in conjunction with other products from the range.

I’ve been using the MMR serum and the treatment lotion together with my Make a Difference Rejuvenating Treatment and the results, so far, have been mindblowing. My skin feels like 1995, again, okay? Review soon!

I also got myself a gift set from The Body Shop. This holiday set is a mask sampler! How cute is the box? The set is comprised of TBH’s 9 packs of the brand’s most popular luxe masks (British Rose, Himalayan Charcoal, and Japanese Match Tea) plus a super cute bunny ears headband! I haven’t touched the masks yet but the plush headband, it’s so nice. I use it every night!

Do you love masking? I used to do weekly masking but kinda stopped sometime last year. I received several bottles of Origins masks + the luxe masks from TBH so I think I should get into the habit again!

Yes, this is a long overdue review. Forgive me, homegirl’s gotta hustle! As you know, I ordered Soak Artisan Soap’s bath bomb trio eons ago because Lush is so, so far away. Soak Artisan Soap is a local indie brand that specializes in bath essentials. They sell everything from artisanal soap – hence the name – to room scents and bath fizzies.

What is it: Soak Artisan Soap Bath Bomb Trio

The Soak Artisan Soap Bath Bomb trio is comprised of 3 mini bath fizzers: Party Beach, Poison Berry, and Sweet Dreams. I ordered the trio online using my mobile phone so the entire process was straightforward. I was supposed to get the full-sized versions of the bath bombs but a rep said they were no longer available.

Quality and Packaging

The parcel came 2 to 3 days after completing the order. The bath bombs came in a brown box and wrapped in shredded paper. Each bath bomb has a plastic seal but the scent still seeps through the packaging.

Right off the bat, I knew the fragrance was too strong. I won’t lie, it triggered my migraine. I’m not sensitive to scents but there are fragrances that I cannot stand. Orange-y scent is one of them. I didn’t detect any orange-y scent at all. Maybe it has patchouli, ylang-ylang or something, I don’t know. I checked the website and the ingredients/fragrances were not listed.

Don’t get me wrong, the bath bombs smelled rather delicious but something about the fragrance induces my headache. It was so bad that I seriously thought about giving these to others rather than use them myself. I just didn’t want to deal with a raging migraine while I’m on vacation.

But in the end, I still traveled with the bath bombs but I packed them in a tightly sealed plastic bag. This way, my things won’t absorb the fragrance. I also packed these with my swimmies so the fragrance will wear off as soon as we hit the beach.

Performance

I used the lavender-scented one on our first night in the city. I did a bath cocktail so the scent won’t be as strong. I added heaps of The Body Shop’s Almond Milk & Honey Calming and Caring Bath Milk (a fave, review soon!) + Johnson’s Baby Milk and Rice Bath. I added several squirts of Mumuso banana milk bath salt for good measure.

When I dropped the bath bomb in the scented water, it wasn’t fizzing a lot. I guess I was so used to Lush’s awesome bath bombs that I was surprised how weak the fizzing was. It did, however, transform my bath water to a glorious lavender color!

On the next night, I decided to use two of the bath bombs at the same time. Again, I did a bath cocktail, mixing two different bubble bath + bath salts so the fragrance of the fizzies isn’t as strong.

Same results, the bath bombs weren’t as fizzy as I hoped. I guess the bath bombs could use more baking soda or citric acid, who knows. The diluted scent was nice, especially when mixed with other bubble bath products.

Final Thoughts

The Soak Artisan Soap Bath Bomb Trio was a good buy but not a life-changing product. It didn’t blow me away and the fragrance is cloying and intense. But for the price, I thought this was a reasonable purchase. I wish the products dissolved in a frenetic fizz though, that’s the best part about using bath bombs. The fizz was just meh. Would I repurchase? Probably.

I’ve always been partial to roomy totes but lately, I’ve been thinking about getting a small sling bag. You know, just to add flexibility to my collection. I need a small bag that I could use when I’ve pared down my essentials. Here are my top picks:

Alma BB

Oh Alma BB, my forever crush! I fell out of love with this bag last year (picked the Nightingale over it) and now right back this year, it’s a vicious cycle. I want to get this in Damier Ebene print because it’s so carefree and rain-proof.

Photo Credit: pinterest.com

I love how casual yet luxe it looks, Alma’s iconic shape will never go out of style. It’s quite roomy for a small bag too. I could fit more than my essentials in there. I must say, I’m thinking really hard about acquiring this bag just to complete my classic LV collection.

The only thing that’s stopping me from getting the Alma is that I want to diversify my collection. That, and the all-too-familiar print that goes against my now-minimalistic sensibilities.

Celine Trio

The design of the Celine trio is hardly exciting but since I’m really into minimalist aesthetics at the moment, I’m digging this bag. The trio is a zippered crossbody bag comprised of three slim pouches that click together on the sides.

Photo Credit: pinterest.com

It’s such a cool bag because you’re getting 3 bags for the price of one. You can use just one as a clutch or two/three pouches at the same time, so versatile. The only thing I’m not too crazy about is that the bag tends to lose its shape when it’s full. It only looks good when the pouches are nice and flat.

Gucci Soho Disco Bag

Gucci seems to be everywhere these days and the brand is killing it in the designer bag arena. The Dionysus seems to be the most popular of Gucci’s newest designs but I’m partial to the disco bag in black leather:

Photo Credit: pinterest.com

Yes, it’s a trendy style but the shape is a classic. I think the Disco bag is here to stay.

Chloe Marcie

The design of this bag is a little too boho for my taste but I do love the look and shape of the Marcie. The range of sizes is really nice as well! Still not sold on the flat design entirely but it does look nice against an all-black ensemble, no?

Photo Credit: pinterest.com

This looks great in brown, not in black though and that’s my issue. I have a brown leather bag and I cannot stand the jean stain. Worse, I don’t know how to remove the stain so this isn’t an ideal color for me.

Prada Double Zip Crossbody Bag

In the pic, the bag comes in saffiano leather but a newer, larger version of the bag comes in pebbled leather, which is what I prefer. The Prada double zip top crossbody bag is similar to Gucci’s Soho but I think it’s roomier, more versatile.

Photo Credit: Net-a-Porter.com

I would choose this over the Soho if not for the fact that 1) this is more expensive than the Soho I think and 2) Prada has the rep for making poor quality bags. Especially the saffiano kind, which is prone to cracking in places.

If you’re paying PhP50k for a bag this small, it better last through your great-granddaughter’s baby shower, you know? These are the kinds of bags that you hand down to your kids. This is actually the reason why I gave up on my dream bag, the Prada’s Saffiano Cuir tote. It’s hella expensive yet some are made in China. So no.

Prada’s pebbled leather is a different story I heard, so I’m not swearing off the brand completely.

Bonus Round: Gucci Marmont Mini Camera Bag

This is an honorable mention, the ubiquitous Gucci Marmont. Nothing wrong with liking something that’s seen everywhere, the Marmont is a contemporary classic.

Photo Credit: dadouchic.com

Love the retro GG hardware and the chain strap. The Chevron stripes and quilted soft leather are also gorgeous! That said, I’d probably pass on the Marmont since the price is a little steep for such a small bag.

Okay, maybe I’m a little biased here, the Alma BB costs about the same but the Alma is a classic. The design has been around since the 30s, it’s like owning a piece of (fashown!) history. The Marmont’s design is sorta new and sorta ripped off from Chanel’s iconic quilted flap bag so I’m unsure if I’d willingly plunk this amount of cash on this design. Still! It looks so stylish.

I love a good highlighter but I don’t care for the blinding, chunky highlighters that are so trendy right now. I crave a subtle glow, just a hint of silky shimmer to highlight the highest points of my face. Becca offers some of the best highlighters in the biz so naturally, I was lusting over their skin perfectors!

I picked the Rose Gold over the Opal shade (which is a cult fave) because the latter was so similar to my old Mary Lou-manizer highlighter (review here). Opal is a beautiful champagne gold while the Rose Gold is a pinkish bronze. I thought Rose Gold’s deep, warm shade would go well with my skin tone!

What is it: Rose Gold Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter

According to the brand, the Rose Rose Gold Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter is a “best-selling creamy highlighter powder to light up the features you love with a high-shine finish.”

Like a spotlight for your skin, Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter lights up your favorite features with high-impact, ultra-reflective shine. Inspired by the dazzling light of the midday sun, this iconic formula is enriched with ultra-fine, luminescent pearls that absorb, reflect, and refract light to amplify your natural radiance.

Quality & Packaging

Right off the bat, the packaging took my breath away! The highlighter came in an elegant cardboard box. The product itself is housed in a coated compact with brushed metal accents. I’ll be honest, this highlighter is so pretty, I felt a little guilty using it.

Inside is a generous amount of powder highlighter, about 8 grams worth of product. It’s quite hefty for a compact too, so the product feels extra luxe when you hold it. The highlighter was so beautiful, I was actually sorry to use it!

As you can see, the rose gold is not as rosy, more like bronzy. It looks heavenly on peeps with warm skin tones. The shimmers aren’t chunky at all so when you buff the product on the skin, it gives a lovely glow that never looks fake. The more you buff the product on the skin, the more realistic the highlight becomes, like wet skin!

Performance

All my highlighters tend to perform really well, they stay put for hours on end. The Becca Rose Gold Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter was no different. I use the tiniest amount to highlight the highest points of my cheeks and temple using a fan brush. I never use dense brushes when applying highlighters because I like my glow subtle and natural-looking.

The product is finely-milled and is surprisingly pigmented. I have to control the amount of product I use because I can see the bronziness peeking through as I layer the highlighter. The effect is really nice if you want to warm up your skin but I don’t. Not a lot of Asians like bronzers because these products tend to darken certain areas of the face. I want my skin to be as vampiric bright as possible so I hardly ever use bronzers.

The product stays put for four to six hours on me. After the four hour mark, I noticed significant fading. The shimmers aren’t as uniform also, several hours into wear.

Swatch Party!

I wish I could take a picture of the highlighter in action but thanks to my crappy camera, it’s not showing clearly. I managed to create a short clip tho, please excuse my now-fat face, I had to take the video closely so the highlighter shows:

Cool, right? Using this highlighter, it’s as close as I could get to having chok-chok skin.

Final Thoughts

I loff this highlighter! It’s pricey for what it is but the quality of the product, the performance, and the packaging are worth the extra expense! Becca truly offers the best highlighters in the biz. Highly recommended, would repurchase in a heartbeat!

* It’s that time of the year when I round up all the wonderful, wonderful events of the year past and cram ‘em into a single post.

DON’T LEAVE 2017, I LOFF U! This pretty much sums up my feelings about this year. 2017 has been such a #blessed year for me and I’m pretty bummed to see it go! This year’s run cemented my belief that starting the year right is key to having an awesome year!

I did lots of traveling this year, which was awesome! My 2017 started with a road trip to the north to attend my best friends’ beach wedding. Carlo and Krisna are my best guy friend and my best girlfriend. I actually played matchmaker and it was so amazing serving as the matron of honor to the wedding. The 2-day prep was a flurry of activities. Apart from hand-crafting the boutonnières, flower display, and other stuff, I also did the bride’s make up!

After the wedding, it was off to Batangas for another road trip. This time to bond with Carlo’s relatives. I was with the hubs and one of my high school best friend, Danilo. Both road trips have their respective challenges but getting there was so much fun. These activities pretty much set the tone for the rest of my year.

In Feb-March, the husband and I celebrated our birthdays. It was a simple celebration at home because we were saving up for Hong Kong. I also gifted myself a new bag for my birthday. This time, I got the Givenchy Nightingale, a gorgeous all-leather purse in midnight blue. This bag was sourced from a Europe-based personal shopper named Madel and if you’d like to know how the deal went down, check out my review here.

Last April, the hubs and I jetted to Hong Kong for a mini-moon! Oh, it was such a joy traveling with the hubs! He’s my favorite travel companion now. We ate all the things and discovered the local sights! I even got to ride a double-decker bus for the first time!

In June I celebrated two things, Dimitri’s 8th birthday and the launching of my website! As you know, I dress up my cat once a year and in 2017, he was an Angry Bird pig, hahaha! As for my new website, it was hard letting go of Tina Bytes because I was basically starting from scratch. But after letting go of a client, I realized that having a .com website is a great investment. My friends at GoSMRK hooked me up with a new site and the rest is history!

It was during this month that I dropped by Batangas for the second time that year to celebrate the 60th birthday of Carlo’s mother. July to October was relatively quiet months but looking back (literally checking the vault), I did quite a bit of shopping, didn’t I?

In November, the hubs and I celebrate our FIRST wedding anniversary. Of course, we had to celebrate in style because this is an important milestone! We traveled to Davao and enjoyed much-needed r n’ r at Pearl Farm resort in Samal Island. Without exaggeration, this is the best resort I’ve been in. We were there for less than a week and it was pure bliss.

We also spent the rest of our vacation in mainland Davao to check out the local sights. We love the food culture and the wealth of souvenirs! I cannot wait to go back to Davao (Pearl Farm, watch out!)

My December was pretty hectic. Our annual Christmas shopping started late so we had to brave the Christmas rush. I loved shopping though! We also celebrated my dad’s birthday at Vikings, which was their first time. I thought the oldies had an awesome time and they’re literally planning another sojourn in Manille sometime in March. I was just happy to complete our Christmas shopping, to be honest. I hated the crowds, grabe!

We had to return to Manila on the 22nd of December, my first time to travel so close to the holidays. I usually avoid traveling anywhere five days before Christmas but we had to. Our seafood Noche Buena depended on it! It was quite an adventure, of course!

For our Noche Buena feast, the hubs grilled tuna jaw, salmon, and squid while I cooked the scallops, tiger prawns, crab, and the dirty rice. We finished off by browning our Christmas ham and setting the dips, bread, and drinks. Not pictured is the Christmas nilaga, which my family serves every year, as well as the chocolate pannacotta for dessert.

This year was also the year when we moved to our “new” house. Sorta because our new home is still part of our old home (both properties are in one compound). I abhor houses made from wood but this space feels like our own, you know? I don’t get that feeling with the other house so I had to go.

This is an old property that’s been left unoccupied for at least 5 years, however, so extensive renovations were done. Renovations took a while to complete and we’re still in the process of adding more furnishings but overall, this simple house is now our home.

The house’s age is showing but it is still in great shape. We spent the first half of the year just adding furniture and appliances so our funds were drained, dudes. Fun times. The kitchen is spacious though! It’s my husband’s favorite room. I love the bedroom, it’s where I chill out most of the time.

We went for a minimalist aesthetic with a hint of beach-y vibe. I chose a white, light blue, and cobalt color palette so the space looks easy on the eyes. Hate the red flooring though, I think it ruins the look of the space. We didn’t focus on the frills at all. I did, however, indulged in artworks, photos, and quirky little decors, dressing the corners so our interiors aren’t too plain. A home without art is so very cold. Also, all my books were on display because that’s what I’m all about!

We’re still not done with the decorations. We are still planning on adding key pieces, especially in the kitchen and receiving area. 2018 will definitely be a big year for us, as far as improving our home goes!

As for the professional side of things, having my own website was a great decision because it helped me land a couple of gigs. I’ve worked really hard this year and I believe, I’m reaping all the rewards. My goal for next year is to maintain this direction and I should have an even better 2018. Also, 2018 might be the year we’d try *really hard* to expand our family. Still not ready for spawning but who knows what the future holds.

2017 was a wonderful year and I’m so sad to see it go! I hope 2017 has been kind to you too! Happy new year, dear readers! Here’s to an even better 2018!

PS: This is my 10th year writing Year in Review posts! It means I’ve been counting my blessings for a decade, which kinda makes me feel old, hahaha!